Pneumatic valve apparatus.



G. A. HANLY.

PNEUMATIC VALVE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-27. 1914.

1,152,810. Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH COHWASHINOTON. D. c.

G. A. HANLY.

PNEUMATIC VALVE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 21. 1914.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co. WASHINGTON. n. 1.

GEORGE A. nanny, or ELGIN, ,ILIENOIS.

PNEUMATIC VALVE arraaarns.

Specificationlof Letters ratent;

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

Application filed November 27, 1914. Serial No. 874,178.

To all 'ZLILOWb it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnoncn A. HANLY, a

citizen of the United Stat-es,residing in the city of Elgin, county of Kane, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Pneumatic Valve Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. p I

My invention relates to means for com trolling a liquid discharge through the utilization'oi' an air body interposed between the liquid body and the discharge passage.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide efficient, durable and simple means for controlling a fluid: discharge; further, to provide valvemechanism for a liquid discharge in which-there is an absolutely tight seal between the liquid and the port of discharge, and a seal which does not depend upon the grinding or fitting together of valve elements,thus avoiding difficulties and disadvantages in manufacture, use and repair; further, to provide an obstruction between the liquid body and the port of discharge Which automatically conforms to varying pressure conditions of the fluid body and automatically provides escape for the liquid when the pressure, or in other words the quantity of the liquid in the con tainer, becomes greater than that of a predetermined amount; also to providepneumatic valve apparatus which may be automatic in'periodically discharging a predetermined quantity of liquid, or which may be hand-controlled for discharge only as de sired; further, and more specifically to provide a flushing-valve mechanism for water closets, or where similar flushing operations are desired, having features and advantages hereinabove'pointed out, and which is of simple construction, operates reliably and efficiently, is adapted for use in the present form of well known apparatus calling for flushing operations, and overcomes many disadvantage-s incident to more or" less complicated devices involving valve seats, etc., heretofore used.

Other objects and advantageswill appear l'iereinafter. I

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, I have illustrated a simple embodiment of my invention as applied in flushing a device such as a water closet, and the ensuing description will relate more'specifically to such use, although the invention is susceptible of various otheruses and applications and may be embodiedin structure radically diflerent from that illustrated, which illustration is intended merely to show one thoroughly practical and etiici'ent embodiment of the invention and afford a teaching of theapplication of the principle or principles in-- volved.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a vertical and substantially. medial section longitudinally through a flushing tank and my improved pneumatic control mechanism therein; Fig. 2 is a similar view but with the operative parts 111 another operative position; F 1g. ,3 1s a transverse vertical section showing also, mainly in section, the trap and its connection to a closet bowl to be flushed, the end of the air pocketing device being shown in full: lines for convenience ofillustration; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the air pocketing hood-like element; Fig. 5 is a view, partly in section, of the trap element at right angles to its position in Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a small sectional elevation similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification of a frame element and the pivotal arrangement of the air-pocketing hood thereto, this arrangement being found quite advantageous in practice.

The present embodiment of the invention is illustrated in connection with apparatus for flushing a water closet bowl, in which use the tank element 10 and the bowl 11 may be of the usual and well known construction.

A water supply pipe 12 with a portion 13 thereof depending so as to conduct water to the lower part of the tank, and having the" of the tank as on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

water in the tank is discharged the valve 14iwill automatically admit a further'supply thereto, and that when the surface of the water again reaches a predetermined height, as at 16, the supply will be out ofl by the action of the float 15.

The element for discharging water from the tank includes the trap 17 terminating in the pipe-like element 18 having the dis? charge orifice 19. This discharge element 18 is suitably a casting, and is provided with an annular flange 20 which fits upon an annular gasket or packing element 21 while the portion 22 is threaded to receive the interiorly threaded upper end portion 23 of of Fig. 1.

the trap element 17, a washer'24t providing a seat for the element 28. It will thus be seen that the bottom of the tank istightly clamped and sealed against waterleakage at this joint.

' The hood-like element, cover or cap '25 preferably of sheet metal, has atop wall 25, front wall 25, side walls 25, end wall 25 bottom walls 25 and intermediate wall 25 preferably as illustrated, these walls being connected together with, airtight joints, so

that air pocketed beneath the same will not:

The frame 28 is pivoted, as at 29, so as to swing upward into the dotted line position This element .25 constitutes a housing, capor cover for the discharge element 18 which projects into thehollow interior of the cap 25 through the opening 26, and, in my present practice in the form of device illustrated, the discharge orifice 19 is about an inch from the top 25 of the cap element when in the normal full line positionof Fig. 1, the discharge element 18proment.

jectin'g about three inches above the bottom' of the tank.

The cover element'25 is normally in the position shown in Fig. 1 just before a flushing operation, and is maintained in such-position by the rod 30 having the .portion'31 formed as a stop and adapted to engage both the projecting portion 25 of the cover element and the cross piece 28 of the frame ele- This rod 30 terminates in'a shaft 30 pivoted in the side walls of the tank, projecting through one wall of the tank and carrying the handle 32 and the counterweight 33 for lever action, the handlebeing shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1. It willbe appreciated that by moving the handle in a downward direction the latch element 31 will bev moved to the left when arranged as in Fig. 1 and that thereupon both the cover element 25 and the frame element 28 will be released.

It will readily be appreciated that when water is introduced into the tank 10, provided there is water in the trap ele1nent 17 which there always is after a flushing operation), a quantity of air will be pocketed beneath the cap or cover 25 and within'the hollow interior 19 of the discharge element, and that there'will be a water-line, as 35,

within the capelement 25, and that the air in the space above the surface '35 in Fig. 1 will act as a dam or obstruction to the ris ing of the surface 35. :In Fig. 1 this surface 35 is shown as at about its normal position when the surface of the water outside of the cap 25 is at its predetermined normal height, as at 16. It willalso be appreciated that air will'begin to pocketin the cap 25 as soon as the lower edges of the walls 25, 25 and 25 defining the opening 26 are completely submerged by water rising in the tank. These lower'edges, as shown, are on a common plane. As the headof water out-,

side the hood-like element 25 becomes greater, the air in the element 25 becomes more compressed, and some of it .18 forced downward into the leg 17 of the trap 17, forcing the water down also, until the water-line in leg 17 is fairly clos'eto the lower end 36 of the partitioning wall 86'between the legs 17 and 17 of the trap, or in other words until it is closeto the turn in the trap, say at 38, Fig. 8. The'reis thusa column of water in the leg 17 of the trap reacting against the head-of water in the tank, and these two bodies of water have thus interposedbetween them a quantity of air so a: S i c i held as to balance their re pective gravita tion forces when the height of the water from thedischarge opening 37 of the trap to the point 36, is equal to the distance between the surface 35 within the air pocketing device and 'the'surface 16, or, in other words, when thevertlcal distance ccZ:1s

' equal to the vertical distance 04-77 of Fig. 3.

When the head of water in the tank is thus balanced against the head in the leg 17 of the trap the surface 35 is still somewhat below the discharge orifice 19, and the surface 38 in the trap is still somewhat above the turn in the'tr-ap of the point 36, and

the water is bound to remain in these rel-ative positions either until additional water is added to the contents of the tank or until some of the imprisoned air is discharged.

Beforeproceedingto describe further the :operation of the device I will call attention to the air intake opening 40 in the lower end portion of the end B of the air pocketing devlce, the capacity of this openlng 40 being regulated by any suitable small valve device,

shown as a threaded valve stem 41 having the head 42. I also call attention to the counterweight 43 on the end B, which is of. sufficient weight to tilt the end A upward.

on the pivots 27 The ends A and B are preferablyconsiderably out of balance with respect to the pivot 17. In my practice I prefer to have the difference such that it would require vabout six or eight ounces at the point A substantially to balance this element on its pivots 27. The weight of the counterweight 43 may be varied within some limits, but should be of suficient weight to prevent the end A from descending more rapidly into the dotted line position of Fig.

2 than the surface of the discharging water outside of andaround the open edges of this element falls, and mustnotj be soheavy as to pre ent the end A from being drawn down as the water falls. To prevent this last mentioned operation, however, would v require a-counterweight considerably heavier than is necessary for the successful operation of thedevice.

Assume the parts to be in the r normal positions just before a flushing operation, as

these parts by reason of the imprisoned air within the element25,until the hood and frame. are substantially in thedotted line positions of Fig. 1, and the imprisoned air has escaped into the space above the surface 16. The discharge through theyorifice 19 begins almost instantly the catch 31 is actuated. As soon as the pocketed air has escaped, the buoyancy of the air cap 25 and frame 28 is of course destroyed, and these parts thereupon immediately begin to settle through the water not yet discharged and in a brief space of time have returned to the positions shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the end piece 28 of the frame 28 forcing the rod 30 into its normal or substantially vertical position, the frame being automaticallv caught under the catch portion 31 of this catch and release mechanism. While the parts are in the position last mentioned there is no air beneath the hood-like element 25, all of the space being now occupied by water, which thus has free access to the discharge orifice 19, and the discharge continues without any change in the relative position. of the parts until the surface of the water in the tank outside of the aircap 25 has fallen substantially to the lower edge produce a vacuum causesthe end A to descend, keeping the lower edges thereol always beneath the falling surfaceof the water. It also causes the water to flow from outside the element 25 upward into it. and

the end A continues to descend until. the

hood element is substantially in the dotted line position of Fig. 2, in which position its further downward movement is stopped by a stop element, as 4:5, adapted to space the lower edges of the open end A somewhat, say about one-fourth of an inch, from the bottom of the tank. ency to produce a vacuum is occasioned by the difierence in height between the point of discharge into the apparatus flushed and the orifice 19, that is, the vertical distance c/ of Fig. 3. and has been put into operation through the initial discharge from the tank, and the siphoning action continues until substan tially all the water is withdrawn from the tank say to within a quarter of an inchof the bottom plus the-water still withinthe hood element: 25. While the end A is descending in the operation. last described the counterweight d3 retards its descent and maintains the lower edges of the end A. just at or slightly beneath the falling surface outside the element25.

' iv e must now revert to an earlier stage in. the descent of the end Ain order tounderstand another feature. As'the end A descends, the end B naturally rises, andin due course the air intake opening 40 comes above the surface of the water around the end B. The end B is still filled with water, as, without the presence of air in the closed end the water therein can not escape, and thus far in the operation no air has been admitted to the interior of the element 25.

Now that the intake opening 40 is exposed,

however, air enters the'element 25 at this point and the water in the end B beginsto flow toward the orifice 19. Water is now being supplied to the discharge orifice 19 from both endsr'i and B. Dependent upon the amount of air admitted through the opening 40 the descent of the water in the now somewhatelevated end B will be rapid or slow. I prefer to have such descent slow, as, while thus a relatively small quantity of water is withdrawn from the end B, theend A is still furnishing a relatively large quantity to the discharge orifice19, and the tank may thus be emptied more completely. The discharge continues without interruption until the descending sur face of the water in the end '13 comes to the discharge orifice 19, and, as the tendency to produce a vacuum beneath the hood 25 is now overcome by a supply of air to the dis charge orifice, and as the holding, sustaining and raising force for the water in the end A. is now removed, the water in end A This tend- A siphon is thus formed 13 also, as allofthe water in the hood 25 has found its normal level in the bottom of time the float 15" descended suflici'ently to open the valve, but the flow through the dis-- charge orifice 19 being many times greater than that through the supply pipe the additional water entering the tank has had no effect to prevent any of the operations described, but has merely provided some ad ditional water to be discharged. The supply flow continuing, however, after the air -pocketing device 25 is in its substantially horizontal position, as in Fig. 1, the water soon rises to the air intake opening 40, whereupon this opening is sealed and a quantity of airis again entrapped or imprisoned sealing the orifice 19. as before. The water forced aroundthe bend 36 and out 'of the leg 17* of the trap when the tank is again being filled supplies a suitable amount of water to the vessel being flushed, as when are-fill of that vessel is desired.

The device illustrated may readily be adapted to act as an automatic flushing device by'merely adjusting the float 15 so that it'wi'll operate on asufficiently higher level so that the head of water'within the tank is sufiicient to force the waterin the leg 17 of the trap down to the turn 36 of the trap so that some air may escape into the leg 17? and permitting the surface of the water within the element 25 to rise sufliciently to overflow the edge of the, dischargepipe 18,

when a complete discharge takes place. As soon as a quantity of air is heard bubbling through the leg 17 of the trap the flushing operation begins. In the specific apparatus shown, if I' add as much as one inch of water tothe normal surface in the tank the the tank should a leak occur in the "supplying valve 14, and provides an indicator of such flow, which leakage may be promptly remedied and thus the constant leakage avoided'which through a month or more would result in a considerable loss of'water. Another way. to provide the automatic flushing in the device .illustrated,'the arrangement otherwise-being the same, would be to shorten the trap from thenormal water line 0+7" thereof to the bottom, thus 'reducing the pressure necessary to force a quantity of air around the bend for its escape as already pointed out.

- The trap 17 is preferably a casting and is preferably formed to provide a gradually enlarging interior towardthe bottom, as

illustrated, to provide a freer flow there-' through. It may, however, be a pipe of uniform diameter. In practice I give the discharge orifice 1.9 a diameter of two and one-fourth inches, the discharge orifice 37 of the leg 17 a diameter of two inches, and

the capacity of the'lower portion of the tions being given merely for guidance in constructing the specific device set forth.

Reference should be had to the appended claims to determine the scope ofthisin vention, and all structural embodiments of the same are contemplated'by me as fall within the scope of these'claims.

I claim: I I

1..The combination of a'tank having a source of liquid supply,'a discharge element projecting upward in said tank, an air pocketing device having a downward opening in one end portion thereof and being substantially closed at another end portion thereof, said two portions being open to each other, the downwardly open portion of said device being adapted substantially to surround said discharge orifice, .said air pocketing device being pivotally mounted whereby the same may move upward to dis- The distance ccl charge pocketed air, and also to tilt whereby I said open portion I moves downward from its normal air pocketing position, the substantially closed end portion of said hoodlike device being adapted to tilt upward and having an air intake opening adaptedto rise above the surface". of the liquid in said tank when the open end of said hood-like device tilts downward, the open portion of free in said tank, a support pivotally mounted, a hood-like device pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said support, said hood-like device: having side, end and top walls, and a bottom wall over a portion thereof, said hood-like device being open downwardly at a portion thereof, said open portion being adapted to tiltv downward, said open portion substantially surrounding the discharge orifice in said discharge pipe and adapted to pocket a quantity of air thereabout, means for releasably holding said hood-like device'and frame in normal air pocketing position, the open portion of sand hood-like device and said discharge pipe constituting a siphon when in such downwardly tilted position, the more inclosed portion of said hood-like device having provisions for admitting air thereinto when the liquid in said tank is flowing through said discharge orifice by siphonic action, such admitted air being adapted to break such siphonic action and to constitute an obstruction about said. discharge orifice when the liquid in said tank again rises above said discharge orifice.

3. The combination of a tank for a liquid, a discharge element in said tank, and a pneumatic valve apparatus comprising in combination a support adapted to be pivotally mounted to swing upward in said tank, a ho0dlike device pivoted intermediate its ends on said support, one endportion of said hoodlike device being substantially a pocket havingside walls, a top wall, end

wall and a bottom wall, said end portion and having an air-intake opening, the other end portion also constituting a pocket open downwardly and adapted to surround such discharge element, in air pocketing relation, and means for releasably holding said hoodlike device in air pocketing position about such discharge element. a

5. The combinationof a tank for a liquid, a discharge element therein, and a pneumatic valve apparatus comprising a hoodlike device pivoted intermediate its ends, one end portion thereof constituting a pocket open toward said other end portion, and having an air-intake opening, the other end portion also constituting a pocket open downwardly and adapted to surround such dischargeelement in air pocketing relation, the end portion which has said air intake opening having a counterweight adapted normally to tend to cause said end portion to tilt downward, and means for releasably holding said hood-like device in air pocket ing position about such discharge element.

6. The combination of a tank for a liquid, a discharge element therein, and a pneumatic valve apparatus comprising a hoodlike device pivoted intermediate its ends, one end portion thereof constituting a pocket open toward said other end portion, and having'an air-intakeopening, the other end portion also constituting a pocket open downwardly and adapted to surround such discharge element in air pocketing relation, the end portion which has said air intake opening having a counterweight adapted normally to tend to cause said end portion to tilt downward, the downwardly open end I portion of said device having its normally lowermost edges so formed that they are on a substantially horizontal plane when said,

open end is tilted downward, and means for releasably holding said hood-like device in air pocketing position about such discharge element. I

7, The combination of a tank for a liquid, a discharge element having a discharge opening in said tank, a trap in said dis charge element adapted to contain a quantity of-liquid, a hood-like element over and around said discharge opening, said hoodlike element having air-tight top and side walls and open at the bottom at one end porcharge opening, the openend portion of a said hood-like element being adapted to tilt downward when the liquid in said tank falls below said discharge opening, said hood-like element having provisions for admitting air to the closed end of said hood-like element when that end is tilted upward, said hood like element being weighted to resume its normal air-pocketing positionwhen air is admitted to said closed end in such raised position, a

8. The combination of a tank adapted to contain a liquid, a discharge element projecting into said tank and having a discharge orifice therein, said discharge ele ment having a trapnormally below said dis,- charge orifice, an inverted hood-like device adapted to imprison a body of air about said discharge'orifice and thereby to seal the same against liquid flow therethrough, said: hoodlike device being pivotally mounted intermediate its ends whereby an end portion thereof may move upward and downward from its normal air imprisoning position, said end portion comprislngwalls normally about said discharge orifice and providing I discharge orifice, said hood-like device hav inganother opening,- this beingin the oppo site end portionfrom that mentioned, adapted to provide an intake of air to the interior thereof when said portion moves downward from its normal air pocketing position.

9. The combination of, a tank adapted to contain a liquid, adischarge element having a discharge orifice in communication with the interior-of said tank, said discharge element having a trap adapted to contain a quantity of liquid, said trap having a longer leg and a shorter leg, said longer leg being directly in communication with said discharge orifice, =hood-lik e Vmeans pivotally mounted in said tank whereby an end portion thereof-is normally about said discharge n orifice, said end portion being adapted to tilt upward and downward from its normal air pocketing position, said hood-like means being adapted to imprison a body of air in said discharge element so as to provide an obstruction to the passage of liquid from said tank thereinto, said hood-like means having provisions for discharging air therefrom when said end portion tiltsupward, said hood-like means having provisions for admitting air to its interior when'said end portion thereof tilts downward from its said normal air pocketing position, and

means for maintaining said hood-like device releasably in normal air pocketing poing in communication with the interior of Copies" of this patent may be obtained for sition'against the upward pressure of air pocketed therein.

'10."The combination of a tank for a liquid, a discharge element having an opensaid tank, said discharge element having a normally arranged trap normally below said tank and adapted to contain a quantity of liquid, a hood-like device pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, a pivotally mounted frame on which said hood-like device is mounted, said device being adapted to pocket a body of air insaid discharge element and about the opening thereof into said tank, means for holding said device releasably inair entrapping. position against the upward pressure of air therein, one end of said device being adapted to tilt downward when water is discharging through said discharge element, saiddown'wardly tilting end then constituting-a siphon together with said discharge element, the other end tilting upward the while, said other end having an opening for admitting air to the interior of said device to break the siphonic flow when said opening therein rises above the descending surface of the water in said .tank.

. 11. The combination of a'container for a liquid and having a source of liquid supply therefor, liquid discharge means including a liquid trap,saiddischargemeans having a discharge orifice within said container in an upwardly extending portion of said discharge means, hood-like means pivotally mounted whereby one end thereof may tilt upward and downward from its normal air pocketing position in said container, said end portion of said hoodlike means being adapted to cover and surround said orifice and to pocket air about the same when the liquid level in said container is below the level of said orifice and rising in said tank, said liquid discharge means constituting one leg of a siphon, said hood-like means constituting another leg thereof, said hood-like meanshaving provisions for discharging air therefrom when said end thereof tilts upvward and the liquid in said container is above said orifice, said hood-like means having provisions for admitting air to the m teriorthereof when said end which tilted upward tilts downward and liquid is dis charging through said orifice, and means for maintaining said hood-like means releasably in normal air pocketing position against upward pressure of air pocketed therein. I

12. The combinationof a tank having a source of liquid supply, a discharge'pipe projecting upward in said tank and having a discharge orifice therein, a hood-like device having an open portion substantially surrounding said" discharge orifice, a support 'pivotally mounted to move upward in said tank, said hood-like device being pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said support, operable means for releasably' said hood-like device is in a downwardly tilted position, said hood-like device havingprovisions for admitting air thereinto when said open portion is tilted downward and the opposite portion thereof rises above the surface of the water in said tank.

GEORGE A, iiANLY. Witnesses:

MILTON F. MILLER,

FRANKLIN M. WARDnN.

five cents each, by addressing the (iominissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

